Flysafair Strike Now Prompts South African Travelers To Explore Alternative Airlines: Here’s What You Need To Know

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

The existent aviator action astatine FlySafair is wreaking havoc for travellers successful South Africa. With astir 2 twelve canceled flights since Monday morning, passengers are desperately searching for flights connected different carriers.

Pay disagreement led to FlySafair pilots taking to nan picket lines, efficaciously grounding nan hose and cancelling astatine slightest 26 flights. This disruption could past a fortnight arsenic pilots hole to onslaught from coming for an extended period.

FlySafair Chief Marketing Officer Kirby Gordon said of nan hose that they were blindsided. Addressing nan media, astatine OR Tambo International Airport, Gordon called nan move of events regrettable, but inevitable. Where possible, FlySafair is successful nan process of processing refunds and rebooking passengers, he said.

In a missive to pilots, FlySafair said pilots were paid betwixt R1. 8 cardinal and R2. 3 cardinal a year, putting them among South Africa’s best-paid workers. But this has reopened conversations astir aviator pay.

Until location is greater certainty astir nan situation, South Africans request to find a new, dependable replacement carrier. Here are nan apical options:

Lift Airlines: Flexible and Passenger-friendly

Lift Airlines is simply a caller entrant successful nan country’s home hose sector, pinch operations commencing successful December 2020. It walks mostly successful nan mates Johannesburg, Cape-towards and Durban by serving retired nan Airbus A320. Lift, already noted for its passenger-friendly policies, taxes nary fees connected cancellations aliases changes. Travelers tin besides return advantage of a generous baggage policy, pet-friendly services and free snacks onboard.

South African Airways (SAA): To Come Back and To Come Clean

South African Airways (SAA) is connected nan roadworthy to betterment pursuing its return to nan entity successful 2021 aft securing caller finance and is now portion of nan Takatso Consortium. Majority privately owned, SAA has reinstated galore world and home routes. Recently SAA posted its first profit since 2011, establishing it arsenic a reliable action for passengers. It besides came successful arsenic nan 4th champion hose successful Africa for nan twelvemonth 2025.

Airlink: Reliable Regional Connectivity

Airlink was founded successful 1992 and is privately owned and has go 1 of nan starring location airlines successful Southern Africa. With astir 70 Embraer planes, Airlink flies to much than 45 destinations successful sub-Saharan Africa. Qatar Airways has precocious invested and holds a 25% share, which has propelled Airlink into nan world market. Airlink is known for its way grounds for punctuality, operational ratio and dependability.

CemAir: Smaller Aircraft, Mixed Experiences

CemAir, established successful 2005, provides home and location flights. The hose has astir 26 smaller planes that service nan smaller markets, including Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Durban and Cape Town. Having cleared a fewer regulatory hurdles successful 2019, CemAir receives mixed reviews from its passengers. Some laud its reliability and comfort, but others kick of last-minute cancellations present and there.

British Airways (Operated by Comair): Thumbs up Service!

British Airways has a location portion that operates its home flights successful South Africa. Targeted chiefly astatine business and high-end leisure passengers, it offers nan highest standards of comfort, information and work connected board. It’s not a fund option, but does person bully customer satisfaction, particularly connected routes specified arsenic Johannesburg to Cape Town and Durban.

Travellers person difficult decisions to make successful nan midst of nan chaos

The FlySafair business action has shone nan ray successful South Africa connected weaknesses successful nan home aerial recreation industry. Travellers are making a 2nd conjecture astir which airlines they consciousness comfortable flying connected — reflecting reliability, customer work and cost. With nan anticipation of ongoing business action, passengers are quickly adjusting and migrating toward options they tin much dangle on.

As cancellations continue, home rivals person stepped up to thief stranded passengers. Lift Airlines alongside Airlink are among nan circumstantial airlines that are operating further formation schedules to support up pinch nan demand. It’s that willingness to respond quickly that continues to beforehand them arsenic replacement options.

But fears persist, peculiarly among business travellers. Robust home recreation title is important, particularly for nan commercialized centers of Johannesburg and Cape Town. So airlines specified arsenic Airlink and British Airways home are accelerated being favoured because they person been tested and proven.

Tourism manufacture specialists deliberation nan existent turmoil whitethorn lead to semipermanent changes successful traveler tastes. With renewed attraction connected hose stableness and a committedness to customer centric services, nan look of home flights successful South Africa whitethorn alteration significantly.

Travellers encouraged to enactment informed

Pro If onslaught continues: If airlines cancel flights owed to a strike, master counsel paying adjacent attraction to hose announcements. Travellers are advised to cheque their formation position pinch nan airlines connected their websites aliases straight pinch customer services.

FlySafair aviator onslaught show why travellers should ever person a scheme B. It besides underscores nan value for carriers to support businesslike worker relations to debar a breakdown successful service.

In nan interim, passengers will not tally retired of replacement recreation options comprising Lift Airlines, SAA, Airlink, CemAir and British Airways alternatively of FlySafair. These companies connection different levels of cost, reliability and comfortableness successful nan midst of ongoing disruptions to aerial travel—and to support travelers connected while connected nan go.

The onslaught astatine FlySafair that has lasted for complete a week, these different airlines will apt beryllium to beryllium pivotal erstwhile it comes to steadying nan home aerial recreation vessel successful South Africa.